all day, these pictures were streaming into our newsroom. wisconsin, chicago, new york and washington, d.c. all of us apparently doing anything we could to stay warm. take a look at that. in fact, it was so cold today, the great lakes had a wind chill of minus 40, which feels colder than the north pole. abc's senior weather editor sam champion is out in frigid new york tonight. sam? >> reporter: good evening, diane. in central park, where it's 19 degrees here, and that windchill is right around 6 degrees. but this isn't the only cold place in the country. eastern third of the country's got chilly temperatures all the way from the great lakes to florida overnight tonight. we've been lucky with milder temperatures in the past few winters, but tonight, this is the real deal. say hello to polar air. to even the most winter aware, this arctic chill is for real. >> nothing you can do to stay warm here. >> i feel cold, yeah. >> very cold.

>> reporter: from minnesota to florida, more than a dozen states have winter weather advisories, with major cities in the midwest, either near or below zero on tuesday. and that windchill? 50 below zero in maine to 10 below in north carolina. from the midwest to the northeast, it's the coldest air in two years. and for most of the country, it's a sudden and drastic change. in cedar rapids, iowa, a balmy 51 degrees saturday. less than 48 hours later, it was 2 degrees below zero. a temperature swing of more than 53 degrees. >> the wind is just ripping. makes it ten times worse than it should be. >> reporter: this was chicago a month ago. today? you won't see any shorts on the street. chicago dropped below zero for the first time in almost two years. and a frozen lake michigan left even this poor dog stranded. this arctic blast came in so quickly and powerfully, it brought blinding snow. in michigan, whiteout conditions. >> you can barely see in front

of you. it's like whiteout. >> reporter: if you're working outside like these construction workers, there's a real danger of hypothermia, frostbite and even cold air asthma. medical experts tell us breathing freezing air can actually trigger lung spasms. >> i can't feel my nose. i can't feel my fingers. >> reporter: how cold is it? well, maybe too cold to ice skate. outdoor ice skating rinks in minnesota and wisconsin are being closed due to fears of frostbite. and maybe even too cold for ice fishing. this fisherman caught these fish live but now, they're frozen solid in the bucket. we just want to remind folks that skin is something to really be careful about in cold air. when you've got windchills that are about 20 and 30 below, unprotected skin can freeze in about ten minutes, diane. but we found something online and i want to show it to you. i've seen a lot of odd winter weather experiments, but i've never seen this one. a guy, and i believe this is in minnesota, took a shot of a wet t-shirt, set it outside for about six minutes, and when he

came back, it's frozen solid. you can turn it sideways like a piece of cardboard, diane. >> unbelievable. in how much time? >> reporter: in about six minutes, he said. >> oh, wow. it is so cold out there. thank you, sam champion. and now, we're going to move onto day one of president obama's second term. he and the first lady surprised visitors at the white house today. talk about high level tour guides. there they were. no one could believe their eyes. but as we know, yesterday, the president said he has big changes planned for the next four years. the question becomes, exactly what is he going to do? and abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl spent the day trying to find out. >> reporter: after the obamas left the big inaugural ball, they returned to the white house for a star-studded after hours party. celebrities posted photos well after midnight. but today, it's back to reality. president obama's inaugural speech outlined a boldly liberal vision that congressional republicans declared dead on arrival.

>> unabashedly far left of center inauguration speech. obviously, it's not designed to bring us together. >> reporter: now that the inauguration is over, what is the president actually going to do? he dedicated more of the speech to climate change than any other one issue. >> we will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. >> reporter: that came as a surprise. during the campaign, the president spent more time touting the very fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. >> too much oil. that's a good problem to have. >> reporter: we tried to press the white house today on what the president's going to do now that he has made climate change a top priority. what specifically does he want to do that he didn't do in the first term? >> well, i think the president will move forward in implementing some of the actions that he took in the first term. >> reporter: did he run a single ad during the entire campaign that invoked climate change?

>> i can't remember, but it was certainly an issue that he talked about frequently on the campaign trail. >> reporter: we checked. the campaign ran more than 460,000 ads, not a single one mentioned climate change. white house officials acknowledge there aren't the votes in congress now for a big climate change bill, even from moderate democrats concerned it would drive up the price of oil and gas. that's why on this issue, the president's first move won't be in congress. >> supporters like you will be the heart of this organization. >> reporter: with an assist from the first lady, he's launching his new advocacy group -- organizing for action -- to build public support and pressure to get votes in congress that just aren't there right now. the president's new advocacy group will operate like a campaign, running tv ads and sending volunteers to knock on doors, promoting the president's agenda. in terms of the specifics of that agenda, the white house says that will come three weeks from tonight, diane, when the president delivers his state of the union address. >> at the white house, jonathan karl. thank you, jon. and as you know, there was someone else listening to the president's speech yesterday.

secretary of state hillary clinton. and we have learned she is getting ready tonight for her long-awaited appearance tomorrow before congress, over the tragedy at the u.s. consulate in benghazi. abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz has that story. >> reporter: hillary clinton seemed all business yesterday. no heels, no contact lenses, as she held tight to husband bill, carefully navigating the stairs on the way to the ceremony. the secretary did not take the arm of her military escort but the clintons could be heard saying to the escort -- >> just in case. >> reporter: they appreciated that he was there, just in case. >> hello! hey! >> reporter: moments later, she was on her own, all smiles, no sign of any residual effects from that nasty concussion. but tomorrow, returning to capitol hill, her headache may be back, as she faces what could be a brutal day. the long postponed hearing on

benghazi and the pent up frustration of some prominent senators who have made it clear they want answers about what went wrong. >> i want to know what she was doing. did she give any orders? >> reporter: the outrage on capitol hill already cost u.n. ambassador susan rice a shot at being clinton's replacement, for saying five days after the attack, it began with spontaneous protests. clinton will likely be asked about those statements, but there will be more specifics the committee will want to know. why wasn't there more security in such a dangerous place? were you aware there were requests for more security? if not, why not? if so, why were those requests denied? there has already been an investigation at the state department and four employees have been removed from their posts. but it is clinton who the hill committees have long wanted to hear from. but this is not the way clinton wanted to end her tenure and this will be one of her last public appearances as secretary.

john kerry's confirmation hearing is scheduled for thursday, diane. >> all right, martha. but you have news tonight about an exoneration in another story we covered? >> reporter: i do. general john allen, who was being investigated for what the pentagon called possibly inappropriate e-mails to socialite jill kelley, has now been cleared of wrongdoing. the e-mails were discovered as part of the investigation into the extramarital affair of cia director david petraeus. so, a lot of news, diane. >> so, that's over for him then? >> reporter: that is. >> all right, thank you, martha raddatz. and in houston today, there was a terrifying scene at the lone star college campus. two people with guns shooting at each other after a dispute. and two other people caught in the cross fire. one gunman also injured. you can also see some of the victims rushing out on gurneys, being carried out. and our affiliate ktrk reported that students heard five to six shots. two people have been taken into

custody, one student tweeted out this picture, students huddled in a classroom after the shots were fired. and there's a big headline tonight about modern health. 43 million people are taking some kind of aspirin every day to prevent heart attacks and strokes. but now, the leading medical journal, "jama," says there is evidence that daily aspirin could be linked to a small increase in macular degeneration, which can cause blindness. a lot of questions tonight. abc's chief medical editor dr. richard besser is here. so, exactly how much? what did this study show? >> reporter: well, it was a study out of australia. they looked at 2,400 people for 15 years and found that aspirin doubled your risk of macular degeneration, which, as you said, causes blindness. the risk is small. only 3.5%, but if you add that to what we know about aspirin causing internal bleeding, you really need to make sure you're someone who is going to benefit from being on aspirin. >> so, all the people who are being given aspirin, who take aspirin, thinking it's for their health, where do you start

tonight? what do you ask your doctor when you go in? >> reporter: well, i mean, clearly, if you've had a heart attack or stroke, it can be life-saving. so, you need to be on that drug. next thing, you want to know if you are high risk. to find that out, did someone in your family have a heart attack or stroke at an early age. or do you have other risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes? if you have those, your doctor can actually tell you what your risk will be of having a heart attack. the bottom line is, if you are low risk, you don't want to be on a drug that can cause problems. >> and you were telling me, even the tiny aspirin is still aspirin. >> reporter: that's right. it can cause problems. >> okay, thank you, richard besser. and tonight, abc news has an exclusive first look at a new report of interest to shoppers everywhere. top scientists are revealing that some of the food in our kitchens may be counterfeit. from fruit juice to the spice rack, even olive oil. tonight, abc senior national correspondent jim avila tells us the clues that can tip you off. >> reporter: staples of the grocery aisle. all according to a study to be released tomorrow by usp, a

trusted independent lab, frequent targets of fraud. >> food products are not always what they purport to be. >> reporter: 7% of america's food supply now estimated to contain fraudulent ingredients, and this new review of scientific research says these liquids and ground food are most often doctored. expensive extra virgin olive oil diluted with cheaper vegetable oils. costly pomegranate juice adulteration widespread, some brands diminished by grape or pear juice. saffron, black pepper and paprika cut with stems and cheaper spices. tea bags, filled with fern leaves and common lawn grass. pure lemon juice reduced by sugar and water. >> one had 10% lemon juice. another had 15%. another had 25% and the last one had 35% lemon juice. >> reporter: so, what can a consumer do? first, if you can, buy whole products. tea leaves, coffee beans, whole pepper and grind them yourself. and be careful of super price cuts. that's pretty cheap for extra virgin olive oil.

>> and something that should raise some eyebrows for consumers. >> reporter: both the fda and grocery manufacturers association tell abc news they take the new findings seriously, and monitor grocery aisles for food fraud. now both have new ammunition to fight it. jim avila, abc news, washington. and still ahead on "world news," everyone is talking. was beyonce singing? ♪ the bombs bursting in air >> or did she have help from a tape? we look into the inauguration mystery tonight.

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[ bop ] [ bop ] [ bop ] you can do that all you want, i don't like v8 juice. [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. it's the talk of the town tonight, in fact, the talk of a lot of towns. everyone in awe of the music at the inauguration yesterday, including the appearance by beyonce, navigating the high octave obstacle course of "the star-spangled banner." but tonight, some people have raised questions. was she singing with help from a tape? abc's david wright with the story behind the music. ♪ and the rockets red glare >> reporter: right down to that dramatic flourish with the ear piece -- ♪ bursting in air >> reporter: her performance was picture perfect. but was she just acting?

earlier today, the marine corps band confirmed they were just pretending to play their instruments. and said flat-out, beyonce was lip-syncing. the band's spokeswoman told abc news, "we do not know why she decided to go with the pre-recorded music at the last minute." ♪ land of the pilgrim's pride >> reporter: on the platform, her fellow performers, who did their portions live, presumably thought she was singing live, too. ♪ let freedom ring >> reporter: watch kelly clarkson closely here, "it's so hard," she mouthed, congratulating beyonce. ♪ there is a precedent. itzhak perlman and yo-yo ma played air violin and cello at obama's first inaugural. it was cold enough that day to snap their strings.

♪ oh beautiful >> reporter: yesterday was cold enough to worry james taylor. ♪ for amber waves of grain >> it's always hard for a guitar player to play when it's cold, because your hands sort of stiffen up. you know, i was very relieved to have gotten through it without any major train wrecks. ♪ above the fruited plain >> reporter: late today, facing a train wreck of bad p.r., the marine corps band revised its earlier statement. "no one in the marine band is in a position to assess whether beyonce's performance was live or pre-recorded." an inauguration is supposed to be history, not showbiz. and history is rarely perfect. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> and it is a mystery tonight. coming up, some good news about our own barbara walters.

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two youngsters, steve jobs and steve wozniak started out at atari before they created apple. and we also have a brand new voice weighing in on a big story. singer sheryl crow talked to "entertainment tonight" about the confession from her former fiance, lance armstrong, that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. >> i think that honesty is always the best bet and that the truth will set you free. it's got to be really hard to walk around knowing you're not telling the truth about something. >> crow would not say whether she personally ever witnessed armstrong using illegal drugs. and, a note about our friend barbara walters. today, she gave us an update on her recovery after that fall over the weekend. telling us she's still in the hospital, running a low grade fever, but she'll be home soon and wanted to thank everyone who has sent her such good wishes. add us to that list. we've got the red carpet ready. and coming up here, we're going to show you something we saw behind the scenes of the obama family.

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and finally tonight, there were so many moments at the inauguration yesterday that

reminded us, the obama family has all our modern family quirks. abc's cecilia vega shows us what we saw about what they are. ♪ >> reporter: this is the first couple as we know them. the presidential waves, the first lady-like smiles. but this is the first family unscripted, like we've never seen them before. yesterday's camera catching every second of their 47 minutes watching the inaugural parade go by. at one point, 14-year-old malia even realizes it's been on the entire time. "oh, my god," she seems to say. "it's on." it is a presidential candid camera showing america's most prominent family to be, in fact, just like every other family out there. there's president obama chomping on his gum. and there he is, distracted during his own parade by that cell phone. there's 11-year-old sasha still

squirming like a little girl, but growing up right before our eyes. and some big sister teasing from malia, photo bombing what could have been such a sweet picture of her parents kissing. these days, the president sounds like any other dad. >> now that my girls are getting older, they don't want to spend that much time with me anyway, so, i'll be probably calling around looking for somebody to play cards with me or something. because i'm getting kind of lonely in this big house. >> reporter: the former chief of staff to first lady laura bush says life in a fishbowl may be tough, but it can still be fun. >> surprisingly, it really is fairly easy to have a good life and a normal life and a happy life inside that bubble. >> reporter: malia seems to be very happy with her cell phone. and even though her mother has said she's not allowed to use it during the weekdays, maybe this time, there was an exception. it was, after all, dad's inauguration. cecilia vega, abc news, washington. >> technology invasion. by the way, the president has

said that malia is not allowed to have a facebook page. that's for real. and we thank you for watching. we're always working for you at abcnews.com. "nightline" later at its new time, 12:35 a.m. eastern. and i'll see you right back here tomorrow. good night. tonight can this man and his controversial police tactics help the city take a bite out of the crime rate? >> a home invasion that has6zina neighborhood riled up. you'll see why they're pointing fingers tonight at police department. >> and repair work on the damaging footing of the bay bridge. why it will take weeks to fix. >> and 49er dollar tattoo, let me rephrase that that will

make you part of the 49er faithful forever. >> right now in, oakland forces lining up for battle over whether to hire a tough ex-police chief to help solve the crime problem, good evening, everyone. >> and a former top cop being considered as a skrim consultant in oak0oen reasoned. bill brat oncomes where a reputation as a lawman. the city council will discuss bringing him on board tonight. >> looks like it's going to be a long one. i'm told 200 people signed up to speak the oakland police department is expecting it to be lively as wex i saw 20 officers gathered

in from thepámt chambers preparg to deal with a large number of people who do not want the city to hire high profile police consultant william opponents spoke out against the police strategy that's have been controversial in other cities. the former l.a. police chief favors the use of stop and frisk techniques. >> and we've seen a cross the country, results of his brand of policing. weakened kplunts, more devastation and poor communities, lgbt communities more devastated than when he came in. >> oakland police chief says there is too much emphasis being placed on stop and frisk opposed to the crime fighting record. now, if hired the city will pay bratton 250,000s skpdz while bratton's name is at the op